Ambulance Dedicated To Founding Father Of Stamford's EMS Services

STAMFORD, CT — On Tuesday, the community gathered at Stamford Emergency Medical Services Headquarters on Long Ridge Road to dedicate an ambulance in honor of Michael Wiederlight and his wife, Ronnie, for their years of service and dedication to increasing EMS service in the city.

After joining the Board of Representatives in 1979, Michael became aware of the state of Stamford's emergency medical services. At the time, there was no 911 system, and residents had to know the phone numbers to call for an ambulance.

"I read an article in a magazine about the differences between advanced life support and basic life support, then I realized the city of Stamford did not have advanced life support," Michael told Patch. "I went about working with all the ambulance providers that were in place at the time. There were five basic life support ambulance providers covering the city, and I unified them all under one umbrella called Stamford Emergency Medical Services, providing advanced life support to all the citizens of Stamford."

Michael became an EMT himself, volunteering nights after working his day job at his firm, The Insurance Exchange. After about eight years of advocating, a new, consolidated EMS system was created, and Stamford EMS was born. Michael worked the first shift and eventually became an active board member, which he still serves on today from his home in Florida. Over the years, Ronnie helped chair the organization's events.

"I'm very honored and I feel exuberant about it, and so does my wife," Michael said. "[Stamford EMS is] my baby. I've seen it grow from infancy until now, where we have a very sophisticated emergency medical service provider that's number one in the state doing 15,000 calls. That's a great feeling of accomplishment."

In a news release, Stamford Director of Public Safety Ted Jankowski praised the Wiederlights for being instrumental in "bringing about positive and needed change to the city."

"Today we acknowledge and honor Ronnie and Michael for their foresight and dedication to ensuring improved medical care for the city," Jankowski added.

Stamford Mayor David Martin said the Wiederlights are responsible for saving countless lives over the years.

"This organization that has saved lives for years, and even more so now, is built on a foundation that you raised," Martin said in a news release. "The Wiederlights are part of the people that are responsible for saving lives in the City of Stamford."

After the ceremony, the Wiederlights presented scholarship funding to EMTs Justin Manley (of Newtown) and Daniel Wellen (of Norwalk) to support their paramedic studies. To date, nine Stamford EMS EMTs have benefitted from the scholarship foundation created by the Weiderlights.

To learn more about Stamford EMS, or to make a donation, click here. or call (203) 968-1118.